Bob Tallman, the gravel-voiced announcer who became the signature sound of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, will call his final Fort Worth performance tonight after a five-decade run. Cowtown crowds will get one last Tallman sign-off at Will Rogers Coliseum as the show moves to new announcing leadership.
Tallman’s Swan Song And What’s Next
Tallman told NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth that this is his "switch over year, my swan song," and that he and show bosses agreed it was the right moment to step back. He stressed he is not retiring from announcing entirely, noting he still has roughly 140 rodeos on his calendar, with the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo lined up immediately after Fort Worth.
A Hall Of Fame Résumé
The ProRodeo Hall of Fame notes Tallman’s long résumé: he has announced the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo a record 17 times and has been named the PRCA Announcer of the Year a record 12 times. Those honors, along with thousands of arena nights across the United States and abroad, helped make him one of the sport’s defining voices.
The Passing Of The Mic
The Stock Show will hand the Fort Worth announcing reins to Anthony Lucia, a PRCA Announcer of the Year who has worked alongside Tallman in recent seasons, while Garrett Yerrigan will also be on the mic for Tallman’s sendoff. The Cowboy Channel has profiled Lucia’s rise, and event results list Tallman, Lucia, and Yerrigan as the in-arena announcers this season. Fans are expected to fill the historic Will Rogers Coliseum for the final curtain.
Why Fort Worth Will Remember Him
Locally, Tallman’s cadence and storytelling became part of the Stock Show’s identity. Fort Worth Inc. says his voice threaded the nights together like a narrator and turned routine introductions into a running show within the show. For many Cowtown regulars, his goodbye will feel like the end of an era even as the rodeo itself keeps rolling.
Tallman told NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth he plans to spend more time improving cattle genetics on his Parker County ranch and serving beef and real-estate clients, while still taking on select announcing dates. For Fort Worth, Saturday night will mark the end of a 50-year local reign and the start of a new chapter for the show and its audience.
